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Orlando food bank needs help after partial roof collapse
An Orlando nonprofit organization needs help from the community after severe roof damage.
An Orlando nonprofit organization needs help from the community after severe roof damage.
United Against Poverty Orlando is raising funds for its damaged roof. The nonprofit organization’s executive director tells FOX 35 Orlando the roof is old and has been deteriorating since Hurricane Ian. With heavy rain recently, the roof started collapsing on Thursday.
"This is just the beginning of these storms and this is what I'm seeing. So I'm very nervous and I know I have to do something quick," said Anjali Vaya, the Executive Director of United Against Poverty Orlando.
Vaya says they have insurance on the building, but the policy wouldn’t cover the aging roof. It’s going to cost $150,000 to fix it and that’s a big expense for the nonprofit.
"Every dollar we get from our donors, we spend 92% of it on our programs. Our administrative fees are very low for this facility. So when you start thinking of that, we don't have reserves that we carry to fix an infrastructural issue this size," said Vaya.
United Against Poverty Orlando, UP, helps 450 people in need every single day. The organization has a warehouse with aisles of food, an emergency food pantry, a resource center, and a doctor’s office. They had to temporarily close part of the building because of the damages.
Now, they’re asking the community to donate to help them fix the building so they can continue to serve the community. You can donate here.
"I have to get it fixed and that's why I'm asking the community that I need your support. I need you to make sure that I'm operational right away," said Vaya. "But also to keep me in your prayers, because this is not an overnight fix for us and we're going to navigate some tough times in this next week as we go through the process."